


Dancing Around The Subject

by LittleBlueWraith



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, Panther is the best wingman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 21:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17291741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBlueWraith/pseuds/LittleBlueWraith
Summary: Star Wolf is invited to a party to celebrate the defeat of the Aparoids. While there, Wolf comes to a stunning realization.





	Dancing Around The Subject

The Aparoids were defeated and the Lylat System was safe. Across Corneria, people were celebrating. One such celebration was lucky enough to have the heroes in attendance! A friend of a friend of Slippy's from academy had reached out and invited them to visit his club, and while Peppy declined, citing his age, the other pilots agreed. Fox passed along the invite to Star Wolf, figuring that since they'd risked their lives too, they deserved some free drinks.

 

Wolf stood at the table, Panther to his left, Leon to his right, and watched the festivities. He'd almost passed it up, as he wasn't usually the partying type, but as Panther had pointed out, they'd all just survived near-complete annihilation. If there was ever cause to celebrate, it was then. So he agreed, if only because his cohorts were going and he'd be bored on his own.

 

His eye traveled across the floor, where the young ones were dancing. The music wasn't his style, but it wasn't bad. Not like you could dance to metal anyway. He spotted Slippy dancing awkwardly with a taller, pink frog and snorted. A few feet away, Fox and Krystal were dancing together. It was almost cute how they seemed lost in each other's eyes. Meanwhile, off to the side, Falco was playing beer pong with a pink cat and a couple dogs.

 

The slow song ended and its replacement was heralded by synthetized horns and a heavily autotuned male vocalist. “Hey, I love this song!” Wolf looked to Leon with some surprise. He hadn't pegged him as an EDM fan.

 

Panther also seemed surprised, but slightly amused. “Then what are you doing here, hm? Get out there.” With the couples’ dance done, the floor was filling up again.

 

“I just might.” Leon knocked back another shot. “But I'm not going out there alone.” He looked at Wolf.

 

Wolf blinked. “What? Me? Hell no. Are you drunk? You're never this… emotive.” Not in public, surrounded by strangers, anyway.

 

“Must I be drunk to want to have a good time?” Leon said. “For your information, I am  _ slightly buzzed _ at worst.”

 

Panther slid around Wolf and took Leon's arm. “If he doesn't want to, Leon, I'd be happy to oblige.”

 

Leon gave Wolf another brief glance before heading out onto the dance floor. Wolf watched, mildly put out by the abandonment. It wasn't much fun drinking alone.

 

Panther and Leon danced gracefully together, though there was no romance to it. It was clear they were just friends having fun. And yet… Wolf took another sip of his cocktail. And yet what? It was just a dumb dance at a dumb party. It meant nothing.

 

Wolf saw Leon say something to Panther and point out Fox and Krystal. Panther grinned and they headed over. It looked like they were going to try and switch partners for a laugh. A bump, a twirl, and suddenly Fox and Panther were chest-to-chest and Leon was stealing Krystal away. The shock wore off for her quickly and she laughed at the prank. Fox and Panther looked at each other, confused, before Panther shrugged and whisked Fox across the floor, despite the younger man's protests.

 

Wolf rolled his eye and finished his drink. Doofuses, both of them. Especially Leon. People thought Panther was the fun one of the trio, but Leon could get pretty rambunctious too, when he was comfortable. There just weren't a lot of people he was comfortable around. Wolf was one of the few. Or at least, Wolf had thought he was. Turned out a little buzz was enough to bring out the Leon he knew, the one he thought it was a privilege to see.

 

The sourness of those thoughts caught him by surprise. It's not like he owned Leon; the lizard could do as he wished, with whomever he wished. A little voice reminded him that Leon had wanted to dance with  _ him _ , and that  _ he _ was the one who said no.

 

If possible, Leon's dance with Krystal was even tamer than his with Panther had been. Wolf supposed it was because they lacked the rapport, and Leon had the sense not to get all up in there. Krystal probably only tolerated it because she didn't have the history with Star Wolf that her comrades did. Or she was just polite. Either way, it didn't matter. It still bothered Wolf.

 

When the song changed, Leon and Krystal parted ways. Panther had released Fox and was putting the moves on a cute young lynx. Leon reappeared by the table, just a tad out of breath and a bit sweaty. Wolf put the glass to his lips, remembered it was empty, and lowered it again. “Having fun?”

 

“Very much so,” Leon said. His face was a bit flushed. “I just wanted to, to check and see if, perhaps, you'd changed your mind?”

 

“I don't like this kind of music.”

 

“Your foot is tapping.”

 

Wolf stilled the traitorous limb. “I don't dance.”

 

“Whyever not?”

 

“I just… never learned how. Wouldn't know the first thing to do.”

 

Leon offered him a hand. “Then allow me to lead.”

 

Wolf looked at the hand, then at Leon. His eyes were clear, and… hopeful? Why hopeful? Why did he want to dance with Wolf so much? And why did the thought give Wolf butterflies? The longer he hesitated, the more he thought he saw the hope seep out of Leon's face. With a gulp, Wolf nervously took his hand.

 

“Okay.”

 

Leon smiled and pulled Wolf out onto the floor with surprising force. Leon laced his fingers through his, holding his hands in a much more intimate fashion than he'd held Krystal's or even Panther's, and Wolf's face felt warm. Slowly, Leon started the dance. A simple enough two-step, but Wolf kept glancing down.

 

“Don't look at your feet, look at me,” Leon said. Wolf did, and found himself unable to look away from his eyes. They were a very pale blue, so pale he'd thought they were gray for the longest time. At the moment, though, they were dark, his pupils huge.

 

Their dance picked up speed, so that they were actually in time with the music. Leon kept their steps simple, keeping Wolf's inexperience in mind, while adding in new ones periodically. “That's it, good,” Leon said. “You're a natural.”

 

Why that made Wolf smile was beyond him, but it did, and Wolf couldn't find a reason to stop. This was actually kind of really fun! Leon spun Wolf around and dipped him, grinning, and the suddenness of it earned a soft chuckle from Wolf.

 

Leon lifted him upright and they continued on. The song changed again, to another slow song, and the two of them stopped. Leon slowly released Wolf's hands. “Ah… We'd best make room for the couples.”

 

“Y-yeah…” Wolf agreed. The two of them slipped off the dance floor. Panther was pouting at their table as the lynx he had his eye on danced with a lovely spaniel. His expression changed when he saw them, though, into a smirk.

 

“What're you looking so smug about?” Wolf asked, suddenly very self-conscious. Panther looked from him to Leon, who looked away. Panther rolled his eyes and took a sip. Wolf glared. “Well?”

 

“Smells like pine in here,” the cat murmured.

 

“Eh?” That was an odd statement, especially considering the room smelled of sweat and alcohol more than anything else.

 

“Never mind.” Panther sighed in the manner of a man that felt his wit was unappreciated. “I took the liberty of ordering another round.”

 

Leon and Wolf each took a glass and drank. Wolf noticed that Leon was still avoiding eye contact, and this puzzled him. “You okay, Leon?”

 

“F-fine, fine,” Leon said, voice cracking. He cleared his throat. “Never better.” He put the glass down. “I, uh, need to use the bathroom. Excuse me…”

 

The speed at which he left caused Wolf to raise an eyebrow. Panther shook his head. “Good lord, this has gone from funny to painful.”

 

Wolf looked to him, puzzled. “What has?”

 

“Watching you two oblivious idiots,” Panther said. “Honestly, I can't believe the incident with Dengar didn't clue you in.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Wolf said, growing impatient.

 

“Oh for--Leon is  _ in love _ with you, you dunce.”

 

Wolf's eyebrows shot up.  “Uh… uh… uh…  _ What _ ?”

 

“It's obvious, from the way he looks at you to the way he speaks of you. And if I'm not mistaken, which I'm not, his feelings aren't necessarily unrequited.”

 

Wolf blushed so furiously he was sure it could be seen through his thick fur. “I--I--I--”

 

“If this Aparoid debacle is any indication, life is unpredictable and potentially very short.” Panther finished his drink and patted Wolf's shoulder. “I say this as a friend. Don't let this chance pass you by.”

 

With that, Panther left to go find another pretty young thing, leaving Wolf alone with his thoughts. He stared at his reflection in his drink. He was 37 years old; he'd been around the block a few times. But he'd never felt about anyone the way he did for Leon. He'd had partners, sure, people he liked, but Leon was different. Everything about him was different. Wolf noticed things about him he never thought twice about with others. Leon's voice, the way he changed pitch when he got excited. Leon's scent, like falling rain on rich earth. Leon's face, how he just liked looking at... it. Oh.

 

Ohhh.

 

Damn that cat for being able to read him so well. Wolf was still reeling from this epiphany when he saw Leon heading back. His heart pounded in his chest, faster with every step the lizard took. Wolf swallowed his drink in a single gulp. He needed that liquid courage for what he was about to say.

 

Across the room, Panther watched as Wolf and Leon spoke. Wolf looked away, he looked back, Leon's eyes widened, he blushed, he smiled, Wolf smiled, they leaned in…

 

Panther gave a satisfied grin and walked outside for a smoke.


End file.
